DVD REVIEW FOR "DR. STRANGELOVE Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" (1964) (Peter Sellers, George C. Scott) (PG)
Length
Screen Format(s)
Languages
Subtitles
Sound
Sides
94 minutes
Full Frame (Original Ratio)
English, French Spanish, Portuguese
English, French Spanish, Portuguese Chinese, Korean, Thai
Dolby Digital 2.0
1
Plot: Comedy: After a crazed general launches a surprise nuclear strike on the USSR, various political figures try to figure out how to stop the pending bombing and appease the Soviets (Parental review not available).
AUDIO/VIDEO ELEMENTS:
Sporting its original black and white footage and considering its age, the picture here is good, but does suffer from some film artifacts (scratches and other "blips"), as well as some graininess and pixelation. The audio, presented in digital mono, is passable, but sounds rather flat, with the occasional sound effects (machine gun fire, explosions, etc.) having rather limited dynamic range.
EXTRAS:
Scene selection/Jump to any scene.
"The Art of Stanley Kubrick: From Short Films to Strangelove" --13 minute look at the legendary director and his life and works (includes various interviews, archival footage and clips from his films) up to this effort.
"Inside the Making of 'Dr. Strangelove'" - 45 minute making of featurette including clips from the film, archival footage and interviews.
Original Split Screen Interviews with stars Peter Sellers and George C. Scott (7 minutes).
Original Advertising Gallery (various original still ads for the film).
Brief biographies and filmographies for the film's director and various cast members.
Theatrical trailers for this film as well as "Fail-Safe" and "Anatomy of a Murder."
COMMENTS:
Although it now seems like a long, long time ago - and in some ways, it is - the Cold War between the United States and the USSR was once paramount in many people's minds and worst fears. After the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis legitimized the potential for nuclear Armageddon for most Americans, the ICBM arms race had government officials and everyday folk anxious, building bomb shelters and worrying whose fingers - on both sides - were hovering over the infamous launch buttons.
That, of course, didn't escape the attention of those in Hollywood who already had a long history of making war movies and political thrillers. Rather than make expensive, all-out nuclear war flicks, however, two filmmakers of the day opted to concentrate more on the "what if" scenario of one missile accidentally or purposefully being fired toward the enemy and the ensuing repercussions, concessions and damage control - of the political and physical varieties.
One, directed by Sidney Lumet ("Network," "Dog Day Afternoon"), decided to go the straight dramatic and suspense route and delivered "Fail-Safe," the riveting 1964 picture starring Henry Fonda and Walter Matthau. The other director, Stanley Kubrick ("2001: A Space Odyssey," "Eyes Wide Shut"), opted for the satirical edge of a black comedy in "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb."
An early example of Hollywood releasing similar films in the same year, Kubrick's film was better received, earning four Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Director, Actor and Screenplay, and seems to have withstood the test of time better than Lumet's film. Perhaps that's because comedies fair better in such regards than straight dramas that often seem to become more melodramatic and dated with time, but for whatever reason, the film still works quite well today.
Starring the incomparable Peter Sellers ("Being There," the various "Pink Panther" films) in not one, but three roles - including the title one - the film isn't of the fall out of your seat it's so funny variety, and anyone looking for that type of film will probably be somewhat let down and/or confused about why the film is regarded as a classic.
Simply put, that's because of Kubrick's usual masterful touch upon all technical aspects of the film (despite some of the effects now looking dated), the wonderful performances from the cast - including Sellers, George C. Scott ("Patton," "The Changeling"), Slim Pickens ("1941," "Blazing Saddles"), and even James Earl Jones ("Field of Dreams," "The Great White Hope") - and the terrific screenplay by Kubrick, Terry Southern and Peter George (based on the latter's non-comedic novel, "Red Alert") - that's simultaneously clever and humorous & taut and suspenseful.
As far as this new release of the film is concerned, it obviously looks and sounds a bit dated (due to its age, monaural soundtrack and black and white presentation), but that's certainly not distracting or unexpected. It also contains several informative featurettes - including one about Kubrick that's good, but should have been updated through the late director's last film - and other interesting bits of material about the film. For fans of this picture, Kubrick or the great Sellers, this is a must have disc.
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